This invention is directed to a device that allows the rewinding of monofilament line onto emptied spools of a variety commercially available lawn trimming devices.
The monofilament line is quickly worn away during heavy use of the standard commercially available lawn trimmers, all of the design of the original WEED EATER(copyright) devices. All of these devices use a replaceable spool to hold and feed out the monofilament line to a length which when spun a high rate of speed cuts grass and weeds around essentially any obstruction. When the obstruction is abrasive, such a stones or concrete, the monofilament line is quickly worn away. For lawns with such obstructions a lot of line is used. The manufacturers of these trimming devices enjoy a good business of selling replacement spools with a fresh supply of monofilament line. Commercial lawn care companies and frugal homeowners with their own trimmers have purchased the replacement line in bulk packages and attempted to rewind the spools that come with the trimming devices. Rewinding by hand without proper equipment is difficult due the elastic memory of the line, which causes it to snap back to its original shape of a much larger diameter than the small replacement spools. Some manufacturers have offered rewinding devices that accommodate only there own replaceable spools. An easy to use rewinding device that accommodates a wide variety of replaceable spool designs is needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,326 to Webb discloses a spool rewinder for monofilament lawn line trimmer devices using a plate to engage and mate with the adjacent side of the monofilament spool. It is not clear how this is accomplished except that the face of the plate is designed to be threadably snuggled up to grip the spool as the shaft tightened. U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,086 to Crow discloses a spool rewinder for monofilament lawn line trimmer devices using a resilient gripping washer to hold the spool to a crank handle with a lock washer and groove in the shaft to the shaft to the spool. U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,029 to Robertson et al discloses a spool rewinder for monofilament lawn line trimmer devices using lug keys to engage the lugs on two types of spools. U.S. Pat. No. 2,531,816 to Homoky discloses a spool rewinder for fishing reel devices using ratchet connections on the crank face to engage the spool to turn it one direction only. U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,632 to Chilcoat discloses a spool rewinder for monofilament lawn line trimmer devices using threadably tightened conical members to hold the spool to the shaft. U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,172 to Koehler et al discloses a spool winder for fishing line devices using a friction cone reel retainer to hold the spool to the shaft. U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,027 to Wong discloses a kite reel using engaging teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,839 to Burch discloses a spool rewinder for monofilament fishing line using O-rings to secure spool to crank shaft.
None of these devices satisfy the needs described above or attain the objects enumerated below.
It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a device that will support and hold a bulk roll of monofilament line and allow the line to be drawn off to a rewinding section to the device.
It is a further object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a device that will support and hold a variety of replaceable line spools of differing sizes and shapes onto which a fresh supply of line can be easily wound from a bulk roll of the line.
It is an additional object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a device that allows an empty replaceable spool to be easily inserted onto the device and held by a cranking device that rotates the spool winding the line onto the spool.
It is a further object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a device that allows continuous tension to be applied to the line being drawn from the bulk spool with minimal risk of slippage of the replaceable spool.
It is an additional object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide a device that allows easy holding of the line that has been rewound on the replaceable spool to avoid the line springing off the spool and back to its original shape.
It is a further object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide an apparatus that can be held securely to a horizontal surface with one hand and wind the line from the supply onto the spool with the other hand.
It is a further object of an embodiment of the present invention to provide an apparatus that adjusts to various sized source rolls of line.
An embodiment of this invention is a spool winder apparatus that include a frame comprising a first end, a second end and a central section, a first vertical rod member that includes a first end rigidly attached to the frame proximate the first end and a second free end extending upwardly, at least one cup shaped member including a horizontal top, the member slideably engaged over the first rod member, a second vertical rod member that includes a first end rigidly attached to a center of the horizontal top of the cup shaped member and a second free end extending upwardly, the combination of the first rod member, the cup shaped member, and the second rod member adapted to extend into a central opening of a filament supply spool, and to support the supply spool and allow the supply spool to rotate as the filament is drawn off the supply spool. The apparatus further includes a cantilever member that includes a first end rigidly attached to the frame proximate the second end and a second free round cross-sectioned end section adapted to extend into a central opening of a weed trimmer filament spool, and to support the trimmer spool and allow the trimmer spool to rotate on the free end section. The apparatus further includes a stop means on the free end section to adjustably fix a chosen distance that the trimmer spool slides along the free end section and a crank handle device that includes a cylindrical member interfitting over and freely rotatable on the free end section, the member having a length and first and second ends, projections from the cylindrical member adapted to interlock into openings in the trimmer spool, and an xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shaped crank member comprising a first end section rigidly attached to the cylindrical member and extending radially outwardly from the cylindrical member and a second free end section extending parallel to the length of the cylindrical member and away from the second end of the cylindrical member.
It is preferred that the first rod member have a circular cross-section and be vertically positioned. It is also preferred that the cantilever rod member be horizontally positioned. It is further preferred that the second free end section of the xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shaped crank member has a rounded cross-section. It is further preferred that the projections from the cylindrical member adapted to interlock into openings in the trimmer spool extend outwardly from the first end of the cylindrical member. It is more preferred that the projections from the first end of the cylindrical member adapted to interlock into openings in the trimmer spool be arranged in a circular pattern. It is further preferred that the projections from the cylindrical member adapted to interlock into openings in the trimmer spool extend outwardly from the sides of the cylindrical member. It is further preferred that the apparatus further include removable stop means on the second free end section of the second cantilever member to retain the crank member in position on the free end section. It is further preferred that the apparatus further include an inverted xe2x80x9cUxe2x80x9d shaped member rigidly attached across the central section of the frame. It is further preferred that the apparatus further include a second cup shaped member that interfits between the first rod member and the cup shaped cup member.
A second embodiment of the invention is a spool winder apparatus that includes a frame and a first cantilever (circular) rod member having a first end rigidly attached to the frame and a second free end adapted to extend into a central opening of a filament supply spool, to support the supply spool, and to allow the supply spool to rotate as the filament is drawn off the supply spool. The apparatus further includes a second cantilever member having a first end rigidly attached to the frame and second free round cross-sectioned end section (disposed horizontally) that is adapted to extend into a central opening of a weed trimmer filament spool, to support the trimmer spool, and allow the trimmer spool to rotate on the free end section. The apparatus further includes a stop member on the free end section with adjustment means to fix the stop member at various positions on the free end section. The apparatus further includes crank handle device that includes a cylindrical member engaged over and freely rotatable on the free end section, the member having a length and first and second ends, projections from the first end adapted to interlock into openings in the trimmer spool, and an xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shaped crank member comprising a first end section firmly attached to the cylindrical member and extending radially outwardly from the cylindrical member and a second (rounded cross-sectioned) free end section extending parallel to the length of the cylindrical member and away from the second end of the cylindrical member. The apparatus further includes removable stop means proximate the end of the free end section to abut the second end of the cylindrical member.
A third embodiment of the invention is a spool winder apparatus includes a frame and a first vertically positioned cantilever rod member comprising a circular cross-section, a first end rigidly attached to the frame and a second free end. The rod member is adapted to extend into a central opening of a filament supply spool, and to support the supply spool and allow the supply spool to rotate as the filament is drawn off the supply spool. The apparatus further includes a second cantilever member having a first end rigidly attached to the frame and second free round cross-sectioned end section horizontally positioned. The member is adapted to extend into a central opening of a weed trimmer filament spool, and to support the trimmer spool and allow the trimmer spool to rotate on the free end section. The apparatus further includes a stop member on the free end section with adjustment means to fix the stop member at various positions on the free end section. The apparatus further includes a crank handle device that includes a cylindrical member sliding over and freely rotatable on the free end section, the member having a length and first and second ends. The device further includes projections arranged in a circular pattern from the first end of the cylindrical member adapted to interlock into openings in the trimmer spool, and an xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shaped crank member comprising a first end section firmly attached to the cylindrical member and extending radially outwardly from the cylindrical member and a second a rounded cross-sectioned free end section extending parallel to the length of the cylindrical member and away from the second end of the cylindrical member. The apparatus further includes a removable stop means on the second free end section of the second cantilever member to retain the crank member in position.
A fourth embodiment of the invention is a spool winder apparatus that includes a frame and a bulk spool holding means on an end of the frame to support a supply spool of line and allow the supply spool to rotate as the filament is drawn off the supply spool. The apparatus further includes a cantilever member having a first end rigidly attached to the frame and a free round cross-sectioned end section horizontally positioned. The free end section is adapted to extend into a central opening of a weed trimmer filament spool, and to support the trimmer spool and allow the trimmer spool to rotate on the free end section. The apparatus further includes stop means on the free end section adapted to adjustably fix the trimmer spool at chosen positions along the length of the free end section. The apparatus further includes a crank handle device that includes a cylindrical member sliding over and freely rotatable on the free end section of the cantilever section, the member having a length and first and second ends. The cylindrical member further includes projections from the first end adapted to interlock into openings in the trimmer spool, an xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shaped crank member that includes a first end section rigidly attached to the cylindrical member and extending radially outwardly from the cylindrical member and a second free end section extending parallel to the length of the cylindrical member and away from the second end of the cylindrical member. The apparatus further includes lock means on the second free end section of the second cantilever member to detachably retain the crank member engaged with the trimmer spool.
It is preferred that the bulk spool holding means include a vertically positioned cantilever rod member with a circular cross-section. It is further preferred that the projections from the first end of the cylindrical member adapted to interlock into openings in the trimmer spool are arranged in a circular pattern.